Tenebrae Collegium
“Lest the truth devour all.” — Memento Mori on the Tomb of Inquisitor Cassilda Cognos The Inquisition, some say, is an empire of secrets. To outsiders, this is certainly the case, for in stern judgment and shrouded in mystery the Holy Ordos sit above them like wrathful gods, little understood and rightly feared. But what is not so widely known by outsiders is that there are many secrets the Inquisition keeps from its own, either because it is expedient to do so, or because they are simply too dangerous even for some members of the Ordos to know. These secrets are often held through invisible webs of patronage, fealty and alliance, but sometimes manifest themselves though shadow empires: whole organizations hidden under the wider umbrella of the Holy Ordos whose nature and concerns remain mysterious even to other Inquisitors and Acolytes. Within the Calixis Sector one such group is the Tyrantine Cabal. Inside the Calixian Conclave, there is no greater divider than the Hereticus Tenebrae, the Tyrant Star. The supreme danger of the Star is not known to all even within the Inquisition’s own ranks. Within the Calixian conclave, even those who do know something rarely have anything but a piece of the puzzle. In no small part, the Tyrantine Cabal is responsible for maintaining this ignorance, just as much as it is investigating what the Hereticus Tenebrae represents and how to combat it. As the years have progressed, this web of secrecy and control has taken on a life almost of its own, and methods and agencies have sprung up to support it and its master’s goals. One such powerful agency is the Tenebrae Collegium---a shadow empire all of its own founded by the genius of the renowned Inquisitor Cassilda Cognos. The Collegium takes the most promising and suitable of Acolytes and transforms them into subtle and lethal instruments of deception, whose true allegiances can remain secret even from the Inquisitors they serve. These Acolytes are perfectly suited to keeping the Tyrantine Cabal's purposes hidden and enacting its will without remorse or apprehension. The existence of the Collegium and its so-called “shadow agents” is a matter officially denied by the Cabal and the source of much secret debate and suspicion within the Conclave Calixis as a whole. How far does its reach stretch? How many agents does it have? And what darkness might go undiscovered lurking at the heart of such a strange and hidden power? Few know, but many outside the Cabal have grave misgivings, and some even have fashioned secret networks of their own in response. 'Origins' The birth of this shadowy brotherhood is rumored to have occurred several decades ago when Lord Inquisitor Caidin granted leave to (the then) Inquisitor Zerbe to form a special conclave within the Calixian Conclave following new understandings of the revelations of the Propheticum Hereticus Tenebrae. The formation of such an organization was deeply unpopular amongst many in the broader Calixian Conclave who saw Zerbe raising his own base of power in the Bastion Serpentis, and feared that the inner circle of the Cabal might begin to subvert the Ordos Calixis to one man’s blind obsession. Zerbe, however, had trusted the full import of the prophecy to only his closest and most trusted peers, among them the ferociously intelligent and well-respected Inquisitor Cassilda Cognos. It was her voice that swayed Lord Inquisitor Caidin to their cause. It was also she who conceived the plan to form the Tenebrae Collegium, reasoning that while the effort of all the Ordos was needed to unravel the Tyrant Star’s mystery, the Cabal’s inner circle would need to find their own core of allies and servants---even amongst the vassals of their obstinate comrades if needs be---to carry out their work and ward off utter disaster. So was born the Tenebrae Collegium, a brotherhood of higher purpose, and into it Cognos poured all her skill and brilliance, although she was herself only to survive just long enough to see the first wave of agents “graduate”. The Tenebrae Collegium endures as memorial both lasting and terrible to her vision. 'The Shadow Agents' It is said Cassilda Cognos once quipped in a rare moment of levity that the Collegium “took outstanding dissemblers and accomplished liars and then began their work”. Certainly, the results of the Collegium’s conditioning do produce agents more than capable of moving through the Imperium in a carefully woven fog of falsity and misdirection. Using tiny gestures, key words and cadences, two agents can communicate vital information in the presence of others who remain none the wiser. Furthermore, using psychic and mental conditioning, a graduate of the Collegium can close his mind to all but the most destructive psychic probing, concealing his deepest secrets around a labyrinth of half truths and falsity to confuse, making them not only extraordinarily proficient spies and agents, but near-impregnable living vaults for the secrets of the Cabal. The ultimate purpose of these Tyrantine agents is to firstly hold the Cabal above all other masters, to pursue knowledge of the Tyrant Star and to keep that knowledge safe from all outside the Cabal’s jealous circle. In most cases, these goals coincide with the agent’s duties as Acolytes of the Ordos Calixis. However, where their true loyalties have come into conflict with the Adepta or even immediate superiors outside of the Cabal, this has led to cold and brutal conflict with those the agent would ordinarily call their lords, comrades, or even friends. So far, the Cabal has managed to keep all such “difficulties” from wider knowledge. The time may come, though, when the fate of all is at stake and they will have to act no matter what the cost. Perhaps a civil war will erupt within the Ordos Calixis as a result. This is a nightmare, however, that this secret empire, this order within an order, must bear, for their own fearful secrets are as nothing to the dangers of the Hereticus Tenebrae, and some must be sacrificed "lest its truth devour us all." 'Alternate Career Rank' Taking this Alternate Career Path is not just a matter of passing the XP requirements, it means that you have been singled-out by the Tyrantine Cabal. You must secure your GM's approval before taking this Alternate Rank, since advancing into this Career makes you a conspirator and subject to the Tyrantine Cabal’s secret orders and goals. So take care to hide your allegiance from others or face the consequences! Required Career: Any except for Adeptus Sororitas or Tech-Priest Alternate Rank: 5 or higher (3,000 XP)